Most people know that the first Colonial Settlers cleared the land of first growth forests in order to build a thriving dairy and cattle industry. However, clearing the land also helped to feed the nation by providing the lumber to build fishing boats, fish being a major part of the colonial diet. American boat and ship builders began to build vessels that were the envy of the world. The forests of the Catskills provided its share of the raw material.
Whale oil was a vital part of the growth of the American economy. It was so important that during the War of 1812, our Whale Fleet was targeted by the British Navy. Whale oil lit the homes of America and Europe, provided lubrication, soap and the bone was found in numerous products including women's corsets. As with the Atlantic fisheries, lumber from the Catskills provided material to build the whaleships. The attack and blockade of the American Whale fisheries caused many Nantucket families to leave the coast and move inland to farm. One such family, was the Scudder family of Roxbury, who were originally Quaker whalers .
The major industries of the Catskills were lumber, dairy, clay and cattle. Lumber and leather were joined together by the Hemlock tree, whose bark was the center of the tanbark leather industry. Tanneries sprung up throughout the colonial Catskill region. The red clay of the Catskills was prized for bricks and bowls. As land was cleared, dairy and other food production followed.